Brownwood News – On Tuesday U.S. Congressman August Pfluger visited the Texas National Guard Camp Bowie Training Center in Brown County, just south of Brownwood.  Pfluger represents Texas District 11, which encompasses much of West Texas, in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Congressman Pfluger first received a briefing on the mission of the National Guard in Camp Bowie from Major General Gregory Chaney.  Subsequently Pfluger was driven around the grounds of the training center, which covers 8,753 acres.  Included in the tour:

***  Virtual Shoot House, where soldiers receive firearms training, without shooting live ammunition

***  Heat House, where soldiers are trained in how to handle a vehicle rollover

***  KD Range (Known Distance), shooting at targets 1000 meters away

***  CPQC Range, which stands for Combat Pistol Qualification

*** Mark 19 Range, which is a “machine gun for grenades”

*** MRF Range, where soldiers qualify with M4 and M16 rifles

***  Zero Range, where guns are sighted in

***  Multi-Purpose Machine Gun Range, where soldiers train in automatic weapons, usually caliber 5.56, 7.62, and 50-cal.

Congressman Pfluger also visited with Guardsmen from the Armory, which is an engineering unit, about their mission.

Pfluger commented:  “It’s my first time here, and it’s absolutely incredible to see the capability and the amount of training that happens.  One unique thing that all Texans can be proud of, and especially those right here in Brownwood, is that every single Texas Guardsman that deploys overseas comes through Camp Bowie before they deploy.  That makes me incredibly proud.

“One of the most important things is what the National Guard does as a partner to the Homeland Security mission.  Being the ranking Member on the Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism Committee, I am aware of the Texas National Guard and the 1200-miles of our southern border with Mexico.  The Guardsmen that come here, that are training here, living and working here, are part of that mission.

So, to be serving on that committee and helping to make sure that the resources, the training, and the funding that goes to those folks who do that job every single day, is just critically important.  I am very proud of what is going on here.  I wanted to come see it, and get an understanding of what this capability provides to keep our nation safe.  At the end of the day, it’s about national security.  That’s what Camp Bowie does, not just for the State of Texas, but for the country.”

Major General Chaney:  “We want to educate our elected officials about the importance of the Guard and where our resources come from.  That’s the nature of the visit today.

“Camp Bowie is a critical training site for the Texas Army National Guard.  Located strategically close to Fort Hood and West Texas, we train all our soldiers who are mobilizing to go overseas, and for a lot of our domestic missions.  Plus our sustainment training happens right here in Camp Bowie.  If we didn’t have this training site our readiness would certainly suffer.

“We value the partnership we have with the community of Brownwood and Brown County residents with our Texas National Guard.  Not only do we have Guardsmen who are members of the community and train here, our community members who are not in the Guard are very supportive.  We consider the community part of our team here.  Thank you to everyone who supports us.”